


Sleepless Night

by fanatic_by_definition



Category: Top Gear (US) RPF
Genre: Adam sings, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Tanner has nightmares, could be considered pre-slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-09
Updated: 2013-04-09
Packaged: 2017-12-08 01:05:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/755186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanatic_by_definition/pseuds/fanatic_by_definition
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adam is awoken in the middle of the night by a phone call from his colleague. What could Tanner possibly want at 2:40 a.m.?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sleepless Night

**Author's Note:**

> Also posted at the LJ TGUSA comm and not on my tumblr. This was the very first Adam/Tanner fic I ever wrote, and I am still ridiculously proud of it to this day. Hope you enjoy!!

The phone on the nightstand rings for the first time at approximately 2:27 a.m. Adam knows this because the first thing he does when it wakes him up is look at the digital clock beside it, grumbling and muttering under his breath about courtesy and common decency. "Who the hell has the nerve to call someone at two-thirty in the friggin' mornin'?!" he wonders aloud to the dark, empty hotel room in a slightly slurred voice.  
  
The next thing he does is roll over and try to fall back asleep.  
  
This plan fails when the phone rings again at 2:33. Adam just lets it ring, hoping the schmuck that's trying to talk to him will get the message that It's. Too. Damn. Early.  
  
The phone rings a third time a few minutes later, and now Adam's pissed. He growls low in his throat, cusses under his breath, and sits up in bed. Noting that the clock now says 2:38, he picks up the cheap plastic phone with the intention of providing the caller with this information. There's no greeting, no cordial "Hello", just: "I don't know who you are or whether or not you possess a clock of some kind, but I would just like to inform you that it's  _two-forty_  in the mornin' and I'm tryin' to sleep here. I ain't givin' you a ride, I ain't got any money, and I don't care who's dead, so can we finish this conversation here and now, please?"  
  
Static is the only immediate response, but after a few seconds a voice finally speaks over it: "I knew I had the right room number."  
  
Adam knows that voice, and when he recognizes it, remorse immediately washes over him. " _Tanner?_ " he asks incredulously, sitting up a little straighter and clutching the phone tighter in his hand.  
  
"Morning, buddy," Tanner responds dryly from the other end of the line. "You're in a good mood."  
  
Adam jumps to his own defense. "Oh, Tanner, I'm sorry, I-I didn't realize-"  
  
"It's fine, really," Tanner insists, cutting him off. "Sorry for calling you at this time of night, it's just that...something came up, and I...need someone."  
  
His voice sounds edgy and slightly desperate, making Adam's ears perk up a little. "Whaddya mean?"  
  
"Can you come to my room for awhile? Please?"  
  
Adam glances at the clock - 2:42. It's really early, and he's gonna regret losing this much sleep in a few hours, but this is Tanner. He sounds like something's bothering him, which is an unusual occurrence, and Adam's curiosity is considerably piqued. After a few moments of hesitation, the New Yorker finally concedes to his friend's request. "Alright. I'm comin' over. What's the matter?"  
  
"I...I'll tell you when you get here," Tanner replies in a weird voice.  
  
Adam's about to demand details, but decides he'd rather talk to the younger man in person. "Okay, then. See ya in a few."  
  
"M'kay. Thanks, Adam."  
  
"Sure thing, pal."  
  
After he hangs up, Adam sighs and manages to drag himself out of bed. If it were anyone but Tanner, he wouldn't be doing this, and he knew it full well. He stumbles over to the tiny closet, takes out his robe, and puts it on over his T-shirt and sweatpants. Grabbing a key card from his nightstand, he checks his reflection in a nearby mirror and fixes his messy hair with his fingers before leaving the room.  
  
Luckily, Tanner's room is only two doors down from his, so Adam doesn't have to walk that far in his pajamas. He knocks on the door when he gets to it, and almost instantly, Tanner opens it for him.  
  
"Hey," the younger man says with a smile. He, too, is dressed in a T-shirt and sweats, and the dark circles under his eyes suggest that he's been awake for quite some time. "Come on in."  
  
Adam does as he's told and walks through the doorway into Tanner's room. Its layout is the same as his own, only mirrored, and it's being lit by a single desk lamp. The covers on the bed appear to have been tossed around quite a bit, as though Tanner had been kicking and squirming in his sleep. "Trouble sleeping?" Adam asks, turning around to face his friend once more.  
  
"Actually, yes," Tanner replies. He walks over and sits down on the bed with a deep sigh. "That's kind of why I asked you to come over."  
  
"Really?" Adam crosses his arms across his chest, curious again.  
  
"Yeah." There's a note of embarrassment in Tanner's voice now. "I, um...I-I get nightmares sometimes."  
  
This confession makes Adam see his colleague in an entirely different light. Tanner's always been Mr. Confident, Mr. Good-At-Everything, Mr. Big-Shot-Stunt-Driver. He's never shown this side of himself before, the vulnerable, insecure side; it's rather surprising. Adam, not quite sure how to respond to this new information, simply nods his head and says, "Oh."  
  
"I know, I know. It's stupid." Tanner shakes his head and shifts his gaze to the dingy hotel carpet. Poking at a small stain with his toes, he continues, "I've gotten terrible nightmares ever since I was a kid, and I guess I just never really grew out of them. They usually only happen when I travel now, but they still spook me. And the only way I can fall asleep again is if I have someone talk to me for awhile. That's, uh, why I called you."  
  
He looks up again, and his eyes meet Adam's. The older man can't help but notice how tired and worn-out Tanner looks, and he doesn't like it. There's still one question lingering in his mind, though, so he asks it: "Why didn't you call Rutledge?"  
  
"Oh, please. You know how he is when he doesn't get his 'Beauty Sleep', the diva," Tanner replies with a snort. "Besides...I like talking to you."  
  
A strange, yet pleasant warmth spreads through Adam at that, and he grins. It feels good to know that Tanner feels some affection towards him. Slowly, he nods and walks over to the bed, sitting down beside his friend. "Well I hear ya, pal," he says quietly. "I know how you feel."  
  
"You do?"  
  
"Sure. I used to get horrible nightmares when I was younger, so bad that I would wake up crying sometimes." Adam pauses for a moment, thinking back to those nights in his childhood when his greatest fear had been monsters hiding under his bed. "I still get 'em sometimes, too."  
  
Tanner looks sidelong at him. "Sucks, doesn't it?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
A somewhat awkward silence fills the dimly-lit room for about a minute. Adam is wondering if he should say something encouraging to Tanner, something that'll let him know he's safe, when the younger man speaks up. "What'd you do, you know, when you woke up crying as a kid?"  
  
The question catches Adam somewhat off-guard, but he responds honestly. Meeting Tanner's gaze, he says with a grin, "Well, usually I'd wake my pop up and talk to him about it, but he'd just tell me to suck it up and go back to sleep. He'd say, 'You can deal with the Boogeyman, or you can deal with me,' and I'd pick the Boogeyman every time."  
  
This makes Tanner laugh a little. "I would've picked the Boogeyman over my father any day, too," he admits.  
  
"Wouldn't we all?" Adam snickers, then gets on with his story. "Anyway, the times that I didn't go to my pop, I went to my mother. She was much more caring, lemme tell you. She had this routine that she did..." His voice trails off after this, and an idea forms in his head. "In fact, I'll show you." Standing up from the bed, he motions for Tanner to do the same. "Come on."  
  
Tanner looks mildly confused, but he obliges, getting up off the bed as well. "Okay...now what?"  
  
"First, she'd have me lie back down." Adam moves the blankets over and gestures for Tanner to lay down.  
  
He does, but not without shooting the older man a wary glance. "I'm trusting you on this, Ferrara," he says as he rests his head on the pillow.  
  
Ignoring this comment, Adam continues. "Next, she'd tuck me back in." He tugs the covers over Tanner's lean body, pulling them up so that they're almost touching his chin. He can't help but marvel for a moment at how adorable the younger man looks, all sleepy and bundled up in a thick quilt. He smirks. "You're so cute."  
  
Tanner sticks his arms out from under the blankets and lays them over his stomach. "Shut up," he mutters, but there's a faint grin on his lips.  
  
"Fine. After all that, she'd pull up a chair..." Adam looks around and spots a swivel chair by the desk in the corner of the room. Quickly, he jogs over to it and rolls it to the bed, placing it right beside Tanner. "...and she'd sit down next to me." Adam does just that, sitting down on the chair and fixing his gaze on Tanner's tired face.  
  
The stunt driver blinks. "Then...?"  
  
"Then, she'd do this." Adam reaches over and starts to run his fingers through Tanner's soft, spiky brown hair. He gently strokes and scratches, watching with satisfaction as Tanner's eyes slowly drift closed. He keeps speaking in a softer tone, still moving his hand. "And she'd tell me that everything was okay, and that nothing in my dreams could ever hurt me. And if that didn't work, she'd sing to me."  
  
Tanner lets out a long yawn and sighs; the muscles in his face visibly relax, as does the rest of his body. His eyes flicker open briefly. "What song?" he asks quietly.  
  
Adam just smiles and clears his throat. In a surprisingly pleasant and in-tune voice, he croons:  
  
"' _When I find myself in times of trouble,_  
 _Mother Mary comes to me  
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be  
And in my hour of darkness,  
She is standing right in front of me_  
 _Speaking words of wisdom, let it be..._ '"  
  
The corners of Tanner's mouth turn upwards in a faint smile, and his eyes close once more. Continuing his gentle ministrations of the younger man's hair, Adam goes on with the song.  
  
"' _And when the broken hearted people_  
 _Living in the world agree  
There will be an answer, let it be  
For though they may be parted,  
There is still a chance that they will see  
There will be an answer, let it be  
Let it be, let it be  
Let it be, let it be  
Yeah there will be an answer, let it be  
Let it be, let it be  
Let it be, let it be_  
 _Whisper words of wisdom, let it be..._ '"  
  
His voice takes on a lovely vibrato that even he didn't know it was capable of, and he smirks to himself as the note fades away. Tanner's breathing has become more steady, which means he's falling asleep, but Adam figures he's still got enough time for the final verse. Lowering his voice to the volume of a whisper, he continues:  
  
"' _And when the night is cloudy_  
 _There is still a light that shines on me  
Shine on until tomorrow, let it be  
I wake up to the sound of music,  
Mother Mary comes to me  
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be  
Yeah let it be, let it be  
Let it be, yeah let it be  
Oh there will be an answer, let it be  
Let it be, let it be  
Let it be, yeah let it be  
Oh there will be an answer, let it be  
Let it be, let it be  
Ah let it be, yeah let it be_  
 _Whispering words of wisdom...let it be._ '"  
  
Tanner's breaths are now deep and regular, and his lips have fallen open slightly; Adam can tell he's fast asleep. His hand stills in Tanner's hair and he murmurs, "Then, she'd do this." Leaning down, he presses a light kiss to the stunt driver's forehead. "And she'd go back to her room, leaving me sleeping like a baby."  
  
Adam stands up and quietly wheels the chair back over to the desk, switching off the lamp while he's over there. He tiptoes to the door and opens it, but before he leaves, he shoots one last glance over his shoulder.  
  
Moonlight is shining in through the window in the far wall, casting a bluish glow over almost everything in the room, including Tanner. The young man's face is bathed in that glow, looking more peaceful than Adam's ever seen it. It's practically angelic.  
  
Adam smiles to himself. "Sweet dreams, Raceboy," he whispers, and walks out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him.  
  
As he climbs back into his own bed, Adam catches a glimpse of the bedside clock - it's now 3:28 in the morning.  
  
And amazingly, he discovers that he doesn't care one bit.


End file.
